Thursday, February 09, 2006

They'll Be No Re-Pete of That Loss to Texas

There's plenty to ponder today as we turn our attention to Los Angeles. Like which is more full of coke, that vending machine at the office, or any of the performers at Wednesday night's Grammys? But since we like to keep this blog on football, let's get right to it. USC coach Pete Carroll (he's the guy on the right), who lost another assistant when cornerbacks coach Greg Burns bolted for Tampa Bay (the second Trojan aide this week to join the Buccaneers), says his hiring of former Idaho coach Nick Holt will allow him to abdicate his duties as defensive coordinator. He now plans to immerse himself in all facets of planning. "We don't need to change," he said. "We need to get better and that's what this allows." OK, then. Those other guys in the photo? The dude on the left is former Trojan running back Petros Papadakis. He's the son of the gentleman in the middle, John Papadakis, the owner of Papadakis Taverna, which the Fort Worth Star-Telegram identified as the Trojans' "secret weapon when it comes to landing top recruits." No word yet if any of the entertaining of recruits at Papadakis Taverna was in violation of NCAA rules.